Good morning to all, the special today is 128 of timed kms, the rest is neutralised.

All Cyril has to do is to tag on the back of Lopez who opens, and now has plus 15 in penalties needs to defend from Faria who starts further back. So the cliffhanger will be for second and third overall

It will be cool to see luis, Lyndon, boundsy, Si, Patrick and Manuel achieve a finish at the end of the day, here's to wishing them an easy, fun and trouble free day! Everybody that finishes this year is a hero in my book

I need to take off and do some chores but will be trying to catch up on my phone...

"I had a problem with my gearbox yesterday and had to change my engine. Unfortunately, I was second in the overall classification. But making it to Santiago was more important than chasing an impossible second place. I'm happy because I won yesterday's stage. I went the whole nine yards every single day. With four stage wins under my belt and a podium spot, I'm happy for myself, for everyone, for Chile, for my family, for my wife. Changing the engine was the right decision. If I hadn't, I'd still be on the course. Now, this third place counts more than a second place. Especially after what happened last year and the terrible accident. It's just like winning the Dakar."

Sorry for not updating this stage while it ran - even on the last stage, the trackers were crazy. What's more, the people running the dakar.com live update didn't understand their own data and told us stuff like "Nav error for Lopez, he lost the stage and his overall podium", which is all bollocks.

Lopez led the stage from the beginning, it was only his 15' penalty from his engine change last night - he lost 4th gear - that confused thing timing.

Lopez wins SS14 ahead of Faria, Barreda and Helder Rodrigues.

That means no change in the overall positions: Cyril Despres wins his 5th title, having won only a single stage and riding an (Dobrowski's) engine, that made all the way from Lima to Santiago.

Team mate Ruben Faria comes 2nd in a great show of team tactics.

Chaleco takes 3rd after 2 horrible seasons, leaving Aprilia, going to Bordone Ferrari and then starting his own team on a factory KTM.

Ivan Jakes, Slovak privateer comes in 4th with an impressive showing of talent.

We're still waiting for Luis, but all other heroes on the ADV watch list made it in.

"Yesterday I lost second place and I thought that just being on the podium was great for me, Cyril Despres' lieutenant. It could never happen, it's inconceivable. Chaleco changed his engine, so I thought there were few kilometres left and I was going to defend my place. I fell within the last ten kilometres as I was riding in Pozzolito's dust. Nothing serious. I'm over the moon."
__________________

And every single one else. Pyn, Rod, Si, Craig, Stann, Manuel... the lot of them, champions and heroes by me!

Faria: spot on Troy! He looks like he is ready to pick up the mantle

Caselli: Amazing rookie effort, if you subtract his 3h20 penalty it puts him in the top 10 I believe. And would have chalked up 3 stage wins but for a mechanical.

Jakes: privateer success story extraordinaire

KTM, rally and domination are words that belong in the same sentence once again. And I don't just mean the bike, but the whole racing team effort, from manager to motorhome driver. They just ooze professionalism

Husky Speedbrain: gutted for them this year, they were worthy of so much more. Just hope that the results don't disparage them and they come back stronger. Same for HRC. Regardless of the flak, they need to stick with their 5 riders and just keep chipping away. Which brings me to Yamaha. Dark horses Pain, Casteu and Verhoeven, all seasoned vets, and only a few mentions before the race started. Will be on more people's radars hopefully next year, as for the bike, I believe they had very little mechanical dramas. The YZ is looking like one hell of a rally platform, congrats to them

Team F5: thanks to every single one of the loons that contributed to this thread. Besides riding & racing, this is definitely the most fun thing to do at home (okay, second most fun). A big shout out to our mods, you guys rock! PackMule, Troy, Flood, Ned, Kaia. Mischa for the tracking, Carlos for the graphics, and last but certainly not least, Neil for the awesome stage previews and Google magic

Okay. All ES & Fr4 torrents downloaded, I'm off to the TV room, gonna watch the finish in style, with popcorn and a couple of glasses of this:

Guys, I am on hijacked internet again and on a super quick timeframe. Can someone cross-post this to the Firehose, and jab a mod to put in in the CLiff notes? Thanks!!

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Preempting the throngs of "official" media, Lyndon first calls in to RallyRAIDio from the finish line of his first Dakar. A Dakar rookie, but hardly a novice, Lyndon's effort this year is a textbook lesson on how to bring it home. CONGRATS, Lyndon!!!

And so ends my first completed Dakar on the F5irehose... I've been brought up on rallying since birth (hence the username) and remember seeing Dakar footage as a child but now I'm older I can appreciate what these guys have to go through on rally raids especially the Dakar

Last year I tried to keep up on the F5irehose but Le Camion Balai got me within a couple of days!

This year I was determined to be there in the beginning and read every single post in this epic thread and I've managed it.

I'm fucked, I need sleep, the missus is pissed (but she told me at Christmas she's gonna leave me after 8 years anyway so bollox to her) and when I go back to work the big boss man is gonna spew when he realises that all I've done in the last 2 weeks is F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 F5 I probably owe them a new keyboard I figure

As for the race itself:

Despres? True Alien - sits back analysing for a bit, has to square away some mechanical issues on his own then gives folk a lesson in navigation and leading from the front

Chaleco - one for the future along with that lad Kurt Casselli - hes got mega pace and when hes got the nav side of things boxed hes a Dakar winner for sure

David Casteu - new hero for me - never known a guy smile as much as him - proper role model for young racers

Pyn/Pavey/Boundsy/Watt/Tim/Manuel/Luis and theRace to Recovery blokes - humbling. Well done chaps - infact well done to everyone who finished

RIP Thomas Bourgin

And as for Team F5:

What a great bunch of folks! Very little in the way of nastiness and arguing all thrugh the race. Some great and knowledgeable folks openly sharing their past experiences and answering dumb ass questions from me mostly

Misc's dakar tracker is epic and the bloke is a legend for giving up his time and putting so much effort in to it

RallyRadio - ditto - amazing to get the calls coming in and to experience the riders feelings

What I learnt:

those stupid hats have a name - and a flatbiller is a derogatory term
i hate darts and snooker
Brodo's maths is shit
everything that happens in the Dakar can have a gate at the end of it
Carlton Kirby is a good bloke but still gets muddled
France TV is greater than any other TV for 2 weeks in january
Eurosport blows
Maray is a headfuck when they get into full flow
I need an ipad for next years event

Hi everyone! Just arrived at the hotel an hour ago. I am very tired! I took today's stage very easy and let all the riders who wanted to push go by. They was still a lot of "Dakar dream killer" rocks... I keep the wheel side up all day while I passed few guys with their engine destroyed. I help #163 to bump start his motor during the second half of the selective for 5-7 minutes but without any success for him on my side, I drove the last 200km with my hand up in the air showing up the "V" with my 2 fingers to the millions of fans beside the roads and highways. What a great feeling to have gone thru this HUGE challenge!!!!!! As many knows, I am dissapointed of my result. I said "result" because I am not dissapointed of my performance; I gave everything I had using my last 15 years of racing experience. The level of riders is now very high as per the organisation an as per the Elite list from the FIM. As a racer, I can tell you that it is more difficult to convince yourself to be patient in the dust instead of risking your Dakar going blind for few seconds. I promised myself that I would not do it once which I sticked to! I met Frede at the end of the last selective today and this brought me a very warm feeling of accomplishment. I filled up my Oakley goggles with tears between there and the finish line! :) As I said before, you can't go to the Dakar alone and I feel I had the the best team of the bivouac for 2013! I need to start with Bryan Flannigan who did an AMAZING job on the communications! My girlfriend Frede who was in charge of the visuals, project image, the KM program and much more! My mecanic JF Charlot who did and oustanding and professional work. He loved to swap my motor during the night of stage 4 whith none the less than Benjamin Melot (Cyril's mecanic). Just to give you an idea. I didn't had to get any tool out of my tool kit during the whole rallye! Many thanks to all the fans, donators to the KM program, I hope you proudly wear you ALDO/dakar T-shirt!! Thank you to everyone who trusted me me since the beginning! Thank you to my family (I LOVE YOU!!!!) This was the biggest dream of my life and the biggest project to prepare. LIVE YOUR DREAMS;DON'T WAIT!!!! Of course, this wouldn't have been possible without your help but also the help of all the sponsors. Pls support them by purchasing their products or simply "like" their page. The rider's name who towed me for 320km is Andrea Fesani. I will always remember you because you saved my dream!!! Stay tuned for the podium tomorrow. I have a surprise!!!! Good night and thank you a million times!!!

Cyril Despres:
From the outside looking in the Dakar is just an offroad motorcycle race but it really does consume so much of my life. I have to make lots of sacrifices such as not spending the amount of time I would like with my family. Its only when I cross the finish line and feel the joy of winning this race again do I once again fully appreciate why I make all those sacrifices.

When I crossed the finish line today and counted my five victories on my hand I started to wonder where all the time has gone. Since my first victory in 2005 the following eight years has really flown past.

Of course every win at the Dakar is special but this one stands out for me because it is the first time I have been able to defend my title. Winning the Dakar two years in a row is rare and nobody has done it since Fabrizio Meoni ten years ago. Before Meoni there was Richard Sainct who won it two times in a row but for a decade nobody has been able to do it.

Now this time I dont have to give my trophy to anybody else and that feels good. When you have won the Dakar one year and not won the next year like I had done three times you start asking yourself some tough questions. I think after retaining the title this year along with the KTM crew we can say we are the boss.

The Dakar is never a straightforward race and this year was no exception. You can never be sure of the win when there are days that you get lost in the desert, you dont feel physically 100% or you have a small problem like I did with my fifth gear on the marathon stage. All you can do is never give up because this race is so long and everything can happen. I just stayed concentrated and did my best on each stage.

Its great to have my team-mate Ruben Faria next to me on the podium because we share so much time training and racing together. I was pleased I was able to do my bit for Ruben on the Stage Twelve but his second place is his achievement and he should be proud of it.

Another of my great supporters is Red Bull and its great to know when you have won a race there is going to be a nice party waiting for you on the other side of the finish line. I can promise you we will be doing some hard partying in Santiago with the whole KTM crew.

Le Patron. What more to say? After last year's bashing (yes I bashed as well, mudgate was infuriating), it's good to see a different Cyril. Ever since Rally Maroc, where sadly his nemesis Marc Coma withdrew, we have seen a more humane side to him. Not to take away anything from his superb race craft, strategy, and riding. One stage win only this year, but in Rally racing, as in war, it's not the battles that count, but the entire campaign. I am in awe.

Fifth title for Cyril, one short of the great Peterhansel's 6 on bikes. I think Cyril will be gunning for that record next year. There have been rumours of an HRC contract, I'm not so sure anymore. KTM have proven they have the team, that, when the going gets tough, get their shit together and perform. Five bloody Dakar wins. HRC would be well suited to stick with the riders they have got and focus on improving the bike and the support aspects of the team.

Loved this little sequence (somebody intelligent can make one of those fancy gifs, it's from the Eurosport Stage 14 Interviews coverage)

One,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five freaking titles.

Not to mention his genuine appreciation of his water carrier Ruben Faria. As gutted as I am for Chaleco, second place couldn't have happened to a more deserving guy. I always wondered what the KTM water boys' potential was, and though I was counting on Pedrero this year due to Marc's absence, it seems that a good water carrier needs a bloody good Boss to follow. Not to take anything away from Pedrero, 5th overall is still a damn fine performance.

We can only speculate how well Ruben will perform in coming years if Cyril is absent, but I'm guessing pretty darn well

Third place man, Chaleco. so happy for him, he seems to have overcome more than his fair share of hardships and rotten luck, first with the under-par Geofil Aprilia team and the heartbreak of losing out to Helder for 3rd and then his horrific injuries. I was surprised at how magnanimously he accepted the engine change and the 3rd place on the podium this year, despite having to push hard on the last day to escape the claws of the amazing Slovakian privateer, Ivan Jakes. Chaleco genuinely looks like he loves riding for his country and the fans in Chile. Tip of the hat, and a fantastic comeback for him

* and on a side note, Troy brought up the matter of Cyril's engine change the night of the marathon stage (I don't remember if it was also discussed here on the day of the motor change at the rest day, I'm pretty sure it was): It would make a lot of sense, if I were a team manager, to force a water carrier to fit a new engine the day before the marathon, so if a #1 rider does have to change, he gets his 15 minute penalty but an almost new engine. Dabrowski apparently showed a penalty of 15 minutes the day before the marathon stage which then seemingly disappeared. I never caught it, but even if he did, it would only penalise him and not Cyril. That's racing, when running at the sharp end you have to take advantage of whatever you can. I'm sure the other teams are already giving the tactic some thought for 2014...

Does that mean the F1-ification of Dakar? Possibly, but that's the route they have elected to go down. More fans on the course. Greater TV coverage (of which I am sure we are all grateful. The France 4 broadcasts were a revelation this year). Shorter, more. technical stages for smaller, more fragile bikes. Specials that seem to reward balls-to-the-wall riding. And yet, an "old school" master tactician and expert pace-setter wins again. The Dakar is becoming a bit of a paradox in regards to what it was, yet fortunately remains the ultimate off road race with the ultimate bragging rights. Alors c'est la vie, till next year...

Hopefully with more manufacturers (Kawasaki, Suzuki get your fingers out of your ass and pledge a budget for some riders FFS), more riders (Coma and Quinn come to mind), more ADV inmates to race the bloody thing and more F5ers to cheer them on.

Fresh off the podium, we catch up with Lyndon for a wrap-up interview for his 2013 Dakar effort. Many of you have asked to hear from Lyndon's dad, Robin, who served as his mechanic for the race, and I'm happy to say that Robin joined us for this call! Grab your favorite beverage and sit back for the final details and some reflection on the past fortnight (indeed, the past year). Cheers!

For the third year in a row, fans from around the world have followed Luis Belaustegui as he's attempted the Dakar on a 2-stroke KTM 150. Last year he came agonizingly close before a crash and injury ruled him out a stage from the end. This year, he had to overcome one challenge after the next in order to make it. When you hear his attitude, I think it will be clear why he was able to triumph.

We chat with mechanic and team manager Scott Spears, followed by Luis, as they are on a layover on their flight home from Chile. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us guys, and congratulations on a job well done!!